3 Innovative Solutions to Eco-Problems

29

Nov2018

We are constantly reminded of the environmental challenges facing Earth today. From global warming and climate change to ocean waste and rising Co2 levels, these eco-problems are splashed across our screens daily. Instead of adding to the doom and gloom, however, at ReGen Waste, we have decided to draw attention to the positives.

This week's blog looks at the innovative solutions to environmental challenges. As a waste management company, we have implemented advanced technological solutions to waste issues, and we continue to be inspired by the innovators in our industry.

Water, water everywhere...

The problems facing our oceans are as vast as the bodies of water themselves. Fuel pollution, rising temperatures and drilling for natural resources have all had an adverse effect. One problem has been brought to our global consciousness like no other in 2018, ocean plastic. The irony of the problem is that so much of the waste at sea is made up of single-use water and refreshment bottles.

This year, we have seen businesses and organisations try to curb the use of these bottles and containers with new policies. Some schools banned single-use containers while other organisations incentivised recycling by offering cash or vouchers. One Edinburgh-based designer went a step further by creating a rapidly biodegrading water bottle. Inventor James Longcroft initially planned to help marginalised communities in Africa through a not-for-profit bottling firm. He quickly noticed he was countering his positive work with a vast plastic output.

Choosing what to wear is part of our daily struggle, but the battle to get the clothes to our wardrobes is infinitely more difficult. The textiles industry is responsible for literal tonnes of the Co2 in our environment. Dying clothes can release harmful chemicals into ecosystems, some factories are inefficient of, and plough through energy and the effects are long-lasting. Some synthetic materials in our garments are like plastic, and they take centuries to break down.

When more and more consumers began to notice that from sourcing to shipping clothes harm the earth, they reacted. Conscious shopping is on the rise, and people are looking beyond brands and are considering ethics when they hit the high street. Some brands have paid lip service to the changes, promising a lot, delivering little. Freitag however, has gone the whole 9 yards.

The innovative solution:

Not satisfied with how clothes were produced, treated and shipped; the graphic designer Freitag brothers have offered a green, literally in some cases, alternative. Initially, they planned to make a robust bag that would allow them to take their creative works with them and they succeeded. Their next steps enabled them to source fabrics in neighbouring countries, create hemp-based clothing and make durable clothes that don't outlive their wearers.

Our last innovative solution takes us to India, where air conditioning is commonplace as people deal with indoor temperatures as high as 86 degrees. Unlike some of the other ideas above, the inventor Ashis Paul set out to find a deliberately low-tech solution. He was trying to offer a cheap cooling solution to those living in the most deprived areas of Bangladesh, what he created was exceptional.

The innovative solution:

Ashis managed to solve two problems with his idea; by reusing plastic bottles to create a low-cost, but effective, air-con system. By cutting old plastic bottles and installing them into the sides of people's tin homes, he created a sophisticated cooling system. The large part of the bottle allowed air to pass through, by the time it had narrowed, it cooled naturally. See how his electric-free invention works here.

Through these practices, we allow companies and councils alike push beyond primary recycling targets; instead they become green leaders. To learn more about our work, or to discover how we can help your company contact us now.